Automobiles are provided with a rear load floor in the cargo area supported on chassis frame members commonly referred to as rear side rails. Typically, the level of the load floor is defined by a weld flange supported on the rear side rails such that the load floor is supported on the weld flange or on top of the rear side rails. Some automobiles incorporate a recessed spare tire well within a central location on the rear load floor in order to store a spare tire and jack assembly for the automobile. It would be desirable to provide a rear load floor configuration that would increase cargo carrying capacity of the cargo area.
An example of a recessed well for storage capability can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,042,837, issued to Einhard Kleinschmit, et al on Aug. 27, 1991, in which the rear cargo area is formed with a recessed well in which the spare tire is stored. Typically, a removable panel is placed on top of the spare tire well so that the load floor is a relatively flat contiguous surface on which cargo can be placed without dropping into the spare tire well.
Another usage of a well recessed below a load floor level can be seen in U.S. Pat. No. 5,195,795, issued to Raymond Cannera, et al on Mar. 23, 1993, in which the recessed well is utilized to store a folded seat such that the seat is retractable below the surface of the load floor. In such a configuration, the rear surface of the seat back can be the extension of the load floor. In the Cannera patent, a pivotable load floor panel is movable to permit the receipt of the folded seat before being re-positioned to a contiguous position against the load floor.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,364,128, issued to Yoshikazu Ide on Nov. 15, 1994, the recessed well for storage of the spare tire is positioned immediately below the load floor, which is conventionally positioned at the rear side rails. The Ide spare tire well is off center with respect to the longitudinal center line of the automobile to accommodate the exhaust system of the automobile.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 5,890,758, issued to Victor Pone, et al on Apr. 6, 1999, depicts a recessed spare tire well immediately below the load floor which supports a rearwardly facing seat in a minivan configuration. As an expansion of the concept depicted in the Cannera patent, U.S. Pat. No. 6,106,046, issued to Anton Reichel on Aug. 22, 2000, the recessed well serves to provide storage of both a spare tire and the folded rear seat of the automobile.
All of the above-described prior art depicts the conventional load floor configuration forming a generally planar member with a recessed storage well formed therein to be covered by a removable lid that is generally contiguous with the load floor.